A twig is a thin, often short, branch of a

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

or bush. The buds on the twig are an important diagnostic characteristic, as are the

abscission Abscission () is the shedding of various parts of an organism, such as a plant dropping a leaf, fruit, flower, or seed. In zoology, abscission is the intentional shedding of a body part, such as the shedding of a claw, husk, or the autotomy of a ...

scars where the leaves have fallen away. The color, texture, and patterning of the twig bark are also important, in addition to the thickness and nature of any

pith Pith, or medulla, is a tissue in the stems of vascular plants. Pith is composed of soft, spongy parenchyma cells, which in some cases can store starch. In eudicotyledons, pith is located in the center of the stem. In monocotyledons, it ext ...

of the twig. There are two types of twig: vegetative twigs and

fruiting spur In botany, a plant shoot consists of any plant stem together with its appendages, leaves and lateral buds, flowering stems, and flower buds. The new growth from seed germination that grows upward is a shoot where leaves will develop. In the spr ...

s. Fruiting spurs are specialized twigs that generally branch off the sides of branches and are stubby and slow-growing, with many annular ring markings from seasons past. The age and rate of growth of a twig can be determined by counting the winter terminal bud scale scars, or annular ring marking, down the length of the twig. Twigs can be useful in starting

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames a ...

. They can be used as

kindling Kindling is material for firelighting Kindling may also refer to: * ''Kindling'' (album), a 1973 album by Gene Parsons * ''Kindling'' (film), a 1915 film by Cecil B. DeMille * ''Kindling'' (Mick Farren novel) * ''Ruined City'' (novel) or ''Ki ...

wood, bridging the gap between highly flammable tinder (dry grass and leaves) and firewood.

References

Plant morphology Building materials {{Plant-stub